Thursday, June 28, 2012

The Solemnity of the two great
Prince-Martyrs of the City of Rome is not only a commemoration of the shedding of
their glorious blood in supreme witness to Christ, but is also memorial of the
unity and catholicity of the Church which Christ himself founded upon Peter and
which spread throughout the whole world through the preaching of the
Apostle Paul.

In commemoration of her apostolic
origins and of her unity founded upon the Bishop of Rome, the Church grants a
special plenary indulgence on this day.

Monday, June 25, 2012

Our Lord tells us that we must
not judge our neighbor, and he does not say that we may judge sometimes, or
when the case is clear and obvious to us, but rather that we must never judge.

St. James says the same: He that detracteth his brother, or he that
judgeth his brother, detracteth the law, and judgeth the law. But if thou judge
the law, thou art not a doer of the law, but a judge. There is one lawgiver,
and judge, that is able to destroy and to deliver. But who art thou that
judgest thy neighbour? (James 4:11-13)

What shall we say, then, must
we never judge another? Is it wrong to form any opinions at all about others?

Saturday, June 23, 2012

The Precursor’s Nativity is
celebrated by the Church because, even from the womb, he chosen and sanctified
for his vocation. The Baptist is the greatest of the prophets, and is more than
a prophet, for he rejoiced to see the day of the Bridegroom.

While the priest, in very
specific moments, acts in persona Christi,
most of his ministry is more closely tied to that of St. John the Baptist –
directing people to the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world. In
this respect, St. John is a model for the priest as “friend of the Bridegroom”
and “voice of one crying out in the wilderness”.

On a personal note, St. John
the Baptist is particularly dear to me as a model for the priesthood, as I was
ordained a priest on the Vigil of his Nativity three years ago.

Thursday, June 21, 2012

While St. Aloysius Gonzaga is
notable for his great purity – indeed, not only did he shun all impurity, but
it is said that he did not even look upon the face of any woman, not even his
own mother! – St. Thomas More is recognized as one of the great married saints
of the modern Church. Certainly, St. Thomas More was mot pure and chaste, but
St. Aloysius lived out the evangelical council of chastity to is perfection through
a life of perpetual continence and virginity (i.e. avoiding all sexual
pleasure).

And so, we see something of a
tension: Can the Church on the one hand teach that St. Aloysius is a better example
of purity on account of his perfect celibacy, and on the other hand still honor
and reverence St. Thomas More who was married not only once but twice (after
his first wife died)? How is it that the Catholic Church can exalt celibacy
without degrading marriage?

Tuesday, June 19, 2012

St. Juliana, whose feast is
commemorated today, was the niece of St. Alexis Falconieri (one of the seven founders
of the Servite Order) and foundress of the Servite Tertiaries, also called the “Mantellate”.
She is the patroness of the sick and of those suffering bodily ills – on
account of the circumstances of her death, she could well be called the “Patroness
of Viaticum”.

When St. Juliana was in her
last moments of life, and the priest was called to bring her the Blessed Sacrament
as Viaticum, it was determined that she would not be able to receive on account
of constant vomiting. She, however, begged the priest to spread a corporal upon
her chest and to lay the Host upon it. After the priest did this, in the sight of all present, St. Juliana became radiant and the Host suddenly disappeared
– having been miraculously received into her body as the “food for her journey”
into eternal life.

We do well then, to consider
the importance of Viaticum (Communion before death) as the last Sacrament of
the Christian life.

Those interested in the sacrament of Anointing of the Sick, may consider our earlier articles: When should I receive Anointing of the Sick?[here], Anointing is only for those in danger of death[here], and On surgery and Anointing[here].

Friday, June 15, 2012

St. John of the Cross, known
for his great works of mystical theology (especially “Dark Night of the Soul”
and “Ascent of Mount Carmel”), was in fact more interested in poetry than in
theological treatises. Indeed, much of his theological writing was given as a
commentary or quasi-commentary on his poetry.

On this Solemnity, we do well
to consider the following poem of St. John of the Cross in which he calls to
mind the Most Sacred Heart of our Savior under the metaphor of a
shepherd wounded by love.

Wednesday, June 13, 2012

While St. John Chrysostom is
the patron saint of preachers, there can be no doubt that St. Anthony of Padua
is a most superb model for all Christian preaching. Not only is he recognized
as the great preacher of the Friars Minor (i.e. the Franciscans), we must also
recognize that many of his greatest miracles are associated with his preaching.

Consider, for example, his
famous sermon to the fishes on the bank of the river Brenta near Padua – his
spiritual father, St. Francis, is often remembered for speaking to animals, but
it was St. Anthony who preached to the fishes!

Beyond this most extraordinary
example of preaching, recall that he once bilocated while preaching on Holy
Thursday; that, on another occasion, he preserved his audience from getting wet
while he preached in the midst of a rainstorm; and that, when once the pulpit
in which he was preaching collapsed and fell among the hearers, none was hurt,
not even the saint himself.

We do well then, in honor of
St. Anthony, to consider what is the sacred eloquence of a truly Christian
preaching, and how this differs from the profane eloquence of worldly
discourse.

Monday, June 11, 2012

The Church recognizes many and various
realities from the Old Testament as figures for Christ’s gift of himself in the
Most Holy Eucharist. On the Solemnity of Corpus
Christi in the Ordinary Form, the Church read from the book of Exodus – how
the people were cleansed and the covenant ratified through animal sacrifice at
the foot of Mount Sinai.

In the Extraordinary Form, on
the other hand, the Church put before us the figure of the Manna in the desert,
through the reading of a passage from the Bread of Life Discourse.

There are so many images and
figures for the Eucharist in the Old Testament – the Manna, the bread and wine
offered by Melchisedech, the sacrifice of the Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur), the Paschal Lamb, etc.! How
are we to understand what each of these figures teaches us about the Blessed
Sacrament? Further, we ask: Is there any one thing from Old Testament which is more
completely or perfectly a figure for the Eucharist?

Saturday, June 9, 2012

Solemnity
of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Jesus, Mark 14:12-16, 22-26

While
they were eating, he took bread, said the blessing, broke it, gave it to them,
and said, “Take it; this is my body.”

At the Last Supper, our Savior instituted the Sacrament
of the Eucharist using the natural elements of bread and wine. Thus, by the
divine mandate, only pure bread and pure grape wine can be the matter of the
Sacrament of the altar. Like the male-only priesthood, this is something over which
the Church has no power but which she receives from her divine Head, Christ
Jesus our Lord.

However, it is good to realize
that our Savior could have used any food as the matter for the Eucharist. He
chose bread, but he could have chosen to consecrate the flesh of the Passover
Lamb (for example).

Why then, did our Lord make use
of bread for the Eucharist? And, What was he teaching us?

Thursday, June 7, 2012

Unless the local bishops have
moved it to the following Sunday, today is the Solemnity of the Body and Blood
of Christ, the feast of the Most Holy Eucharist.

On this day, the Church adores
the Real Presence of her Savior in the Eucharistic Species. Christ our Lord is
really, truly, substantially and sacramentally present in the Eucharist. This
Presence is confirmed in a most astonishing way in those Eucharistic miracles
where the Host and/or Precious Blood physically and visibly change shape so as
to become (in sensible form) flesh and blood.

A question arises, however:
Since, in some of these Eucharistic miracles, the Host changes into heart tissue,
are we right to say that the Sacred Host is the flesh of the Sacred Heart of
Jesus?

Tuesday, June 5, 2012

Since 1873, by the approval of
Pope Pius IX, the month of June has officially been consecrated to the Sacred
Heart of Jesus. In fact, this devotion had long been practiced privately by
individuals and also locally by dioceses (especially in France).

As May is Lady Month, June is
the Month of the Sacred Heart. During this month, the Church desires that all
Christians (and indeed, all people throughout the world) find refuge in the
Heart of the Savior. We pray: “Jesus, meek and humble of heart, Make our hearts
like unto thine!”

What, we ask, does the Heart of
Jesus teach us about our own hearts? How is the Sacred Heart a model and
exemplar for the heart of every Christian?

Friday, June 1, 2012

I have been traveling over the past several days, and now I will be leading a retreat for lay Carmelites over the weekend. Thus, I will not be updating the blog until early next week.

As we conclude the month of our Lady and enter the month of the Sacred Heart, let us continue our prayers for the renewal of the Christian family (though our official May prayer-campaign is now concluded). Further, let us consecrate our family and all families to the Sacred Heart of Jesus through the Immaculate Heart of Mary!

Please pray for me and for all who are on the retreat!
Sacred Heart of Jesus, we place our trust in you!